Around Valentine’s Day we hear a lot about romantic love. But family love is important, too, and a family break-up can be just as tragic as a couple’s. Sometimes it’s even worse. Family mediation among adult siblings, between parent and child, or in some combination can prevent or heal family heartbreak. A facilitated family meeting […]
The State of Connecticut Estate Planning
A few days ago, the meeting of Estates and Probate Section of the Connecticut Bar Association focused on the state of estate planning now that changes in the federal estate tax have eliminated tax planning as a motivation for estate planning for many people. The take-away message was clear: apart from tax implications, reasons abound […]
Your “Big Picture” Year-End Review
As 2010 draws to a close, year-end reviews become popular. We’re all told to take a cold, hard look at where we are and where we need to go. Businesses are encouraged to examine where they can make marginal changes to improve their bottom line. Individuals are urged to pick one, small change that they […]
Family business buy-out conflicts
Family businesses possess great strengths — and potentially devastating weaknesses. One weakness involves the challenge of planning for a day when some or all family members leave the business. On November 1, 2009, the New York Times ran an article by Charles V. Bagli titled “Flipping a Coin, Dividing an Empire.” In it, he described […]
